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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24110356">The Princess and the Genius</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoulJelly/pseuds/SoulJelly'>SoulJelly</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Code Lyoko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Study, Drabble Collection, Episode Tag, F/M, Fluff, Missing Scene</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:01:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,363</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24110356</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoulJelly/pseuds/SoulJelly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of vignettes from the lives of Aelita Schaeffer and Jérémie Belpois. Mostly canon compliant.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jeremie Belpois/Aelita Schaeffer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Beautiful 1.0</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Originally published on fanfiction.net on 23rd February 2012.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He took a seat at the supercomputer and his fingertips skipped over the cold keys as the machine awoke a soft whirr. It was a work of art, really; some might say otherwise, what with the mess of wires which wound upwards in one tangled mass from floor to ceiling, but to Jérémie the thrill of undiscovered technology, no matter its presentation, had the utmost appeal.</p><p>Besides, sneaking out in the middle of the night to discover it had to be the most rebellious thing he had ever done, even if was the kind of adventure best shared with friends.</p><p>Finally stirred from its long slumber, the screen before him lit up and the supercomputer blinked into life. Jérémie was almost startled out of his seat when he stared into the screen, and a girl stared back.</p><p>The blue streams of data pouring down on a black wall behind her may have been hypnotic to some, but he barely registered them as his eyes remained fixed on her face. She blinked, peering left and right, perfectly formed eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Then she was staring deliberately forwards, and directly at him, Jérémie realised with a jolt. Her head, topped with bubblegum pink hair, tilted questioningly to one side. Soft green eyes, which held more emotion than he'd seen in any AI - with such an air of realness about her, could she really be a simple programme? - met his blue ones.</p><p>His heart gave an involuntary flutter as the nameless girl smiled. It was a beautiful smile, a look of complete openness and trust. For a moment, Jérémie forgot about the allure of new technology. That look was something else; it was warmth, it was entirely lacking in judgement, it spoke of friendship and of an end to loneliness.</p><p>Then she blinked and spoke in a lilting, musical voice,</p><p>
  <em>"Hello?"</em>
</p><p>And he fell in love.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Beautiful 1.1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She was freefalling in limbo, without direction, without memories, without any sense of time.</p><p>There was no capacity for thought nor feeling, and as such, fragments of data flickered before her eyes, scrolling upwards, but she had no consciousness with which to register them. There was something missing. Someone important, she knew, but she couldn't remember... in fact, she could remember nothing, not even her own name.</p><p>At that time, for however long it passed, she merely - barely - existed.</p><p>Then somewhere in the darkness, she vaguely recognised a sound; a lever being pulled downwards and old machinery creaking back into life. Suddenly there was a brightness of such intensity as to hurt her eyes. She felt a solid platform beneath her feet and a window in front of her.</p><p>She couldn't think about where she was, her mind so blank that not even the smallest recollection could provide a foothold for beginning to make sense of her surroundings or her situation. So instead she turned to the person in front of her, her one hope for clues as to her existence. Through the tiny window she saw that he was staring at her, slack-jawed, hunched over in a large chair. Blue eyes set in a pale, pinched face that never saw enough sunlight, with thick black glasses perched awkwardly on his nose. Blond hair hung limply in his eyes, and a baggy blue jumper settled awkwardly on his skinny frame.</p><p>She had no idea who he was, but she smiled her sheer relief to see him.</p><p>He was light, freedom, the blessed return of consciousness.</p><p>He was the most beautiful boy she had ever seen.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Stones</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Not this one."</p><p>Aelita pulled a face and Jérémie leaned over to press a button on the side of his computer. The disc drive opened, and he plucked the latest disc from the player before returning it to its case and tossing it back onto the pile. There was a clattering of plastic as he rifled through the sizeable stack of CDs on his desk, flipping some over to glance at the track lists. Finally he found what he was looking for and, after a moment's pause, lifted it out of the pile.</p><p>"Maybe this one?" he suggested, holding it up to show Aelita the cover.</p><p>"We might as well give it a try."</p><p>"They're an English band," Jérémie continued in explanation as he loaded up the disc, "but my dad really likes them. And they're actually one of my favourite too." A slight blush accompanied this admission and he fidgeted in his seat as the music began to play, watching Aelita's face intently to see her reaction. He had known her for only a few days, but in that time they had talked about so much that it felt as though it had been years. Aelita was infinitely curious, desperate to know more about the real world, and Jérémie was eager to oblige. Today, they had spent the morning trying to find out what kind of music she liked.</p><p>Soft music and ballads, especially piano, made her feel a sad kind of emotion which she couldn't quite explain to Jéremie, and she didn't care much for the heavy metal that he had pilfered from Ulrich's CD collection. Now Jéremie was pitching some of his own favourite music to her, and as with everything else he shared with her of his personality and interests, he badly hoped she approved.</p><p>Aelita listened as the song began to play, a steady, catchy guitar riff and a man's accented voice emerging from the computer speakers. Although she didn't understand the words, she soon found herself nodding her head to the beat, drumming her hands on her folded knees.</p><p>"So, what do you think?" Jéremie asked hesitantly after a minute or two.</p><p>"I really like this one. I think it might be my favourite so far," she said, and he grinned.</p><p>"I'm glad you like them. Should we play the whole CD?"</p><p>The morning drifted slowly into afternoon. Aelita sat on the floor of a Lyoko tower whilst Jérémie occupied the chair in his bedroom, and two people were connected across two worlds as the boy's music flooded hers with sound and energy.</p><p>Later, when Jérémie had to leave, Aelita stowed those few hours carefully away as one of her fondest first memories upon waking on Lyoko. Consequently she remembered them, and the Rolling Stones, many months later when she had to choose her name.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Desperation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It all came down to this.</p><p>One activated tower and one warrior on Earth defending Kadic's students from XANA's latest attack. Two warriors on Lyoko caught in the trajectory of a Blok's freeze-beam, a small army of XANA monsters and one frightened pink-haired elfin girl. Jérémie sat in the supercomputer chair, drumming his fingers against the armrests in his frustration. Two Bloks, a Krabbe and a handful of Kankrelats... nothing the Lyoko fighters couldn't take care of on a good day, but Odd and Yumi just <em>had</em> to go and get frozen at the same time, didn't they? If only Ulrich were here!</p><p>Aelita's eyes widened in terror and she scrabbled backwards on hands and knees, entirely defenceless as a Kankrelat charged up its laser beam. She cast a glance to either side of her, but the geisha and the cat still had some time to go before they were able to move once more. Unfortunately for Aelita, that time might be all it took.</p><p>"Jérémie!" she cried out to the blond boy. She had faith in him; he would do something to save her. He had to.</p><p>Jérémie's hands flew to cover his eyes, hardly able to watch. Not for the first time, he felt that gut-wrenching terror that the girl he had come to know and love over the past few months could at any moment disappear forever in a cloud of virtual dust.</p><p>There was only one thing left to do.</p><p><em>Hold on, Aelita</em>, he told her silently, before removing his headseat and hanging it over a corner of the monitor. With practised ease, his fingers skimmed over the keys and he launched an all-too-familiar programme.</p><p>Time seemed to crawl as he headed to the lift. Down one floor, and it released him into the scanner room.</p><p>Jérémie swallowed nervously as he gazed up at the tall cylindrical structures. It was all very well and good to run things behind the scenes, but the thought of making the trip himself left him with a unnerving sense of dread in his stomach, like his innards had turned into writhing snakes. It was an irrational fear, he told himself, and the trip to Lyoko was perfectly safe because he had entered the programme himself and he had seen his friends go dozens of times before.</p><p>And yet his heart hammered against his ribcage, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead, his hands shook.</p><p>
  <em>I can't.</em>
</p><p>But Odd and Yumi were immobilised. Ulrich was out of the picture.</p><p>There was only him left.</p><p>And if he didn't act now, Aelita would be lost forever.</p><p>Jérémie swallowed the lump in his throat, curled his hands into fists at his sides and placed one foot into the scanner - <em>for her</em> - just as the Kankrelat's laser fired.</p><p>Suddenly there came a flurry of sound from the speakers in the ceiling above him; a cry of "Finally!", of firing laser arrows and of a clanging of laser beams deflecting from a spinning tessen fan as, freed at last, Yumi and Odd dove to Aelita's rescue in the nick of time.</p><p>Jérémie shoulders sagged in relief and he wiped the sweat from his brow. He was just climbing back into his computer chair as Aelita safely entered the tower.</p><p>"Good job Aelita," Jérémie said, just barely keeping the tremor out of his voice. "Now I hope you're all ready for a little trip into the past again."</p><p>"I was born ready! And, hey, did you disappear for a minute there Einstein?"</p><p>"Of course not Odd. I wouldn't leave you guys in your hour of need."</p><p>In the tower, Aelita keyed in the code LYOKO and smiled to herself. There was no doubt. He was Jérémie, and he was always there.</p><p>Whether in jest or not, Odd might suggest that Jérémie would leave, but she knew that he wouldn't.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Jealousy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the time since it all began, Jérémie's room had become the unofficial headquarters of the Lyoko warriors. Even when the others had left, he and Aelita would often spend time discussing programming, trading ideas about the complex coding mechanisms of Lyoko, and reviewing the day's XANA attack if there had been one.</p><p>Such was this particular day.</p><p>"It's kinda weird, you know," Jérémie was saying thoughtfully, removing his glasses to wipe them on the hem of his shirt and abruptly replacing them when the action reminded him all too much of an incident earlier that day - one which he would much rather forget about. "XANA keeps coming up with more and more complex attacks. This was the most complicated thing it's come up with yet. A whole Yumi clone. It might even have worked if she hadn't acted so weird, especially when she..."</p><p>He cleared his throat and pointedly looked away. Aelita tilted her head to the side in that adorably confused way she had, and prompted him to finish.</p><p>"When she...? What did the clone Yumi do, Jérémie?"</p><p>Jérémie muttered something under his breath which Aelita was much better off not hearing, squeezing his eyes closed to avoid the burning of the elf-girl's interrogating gaze. The silence stretched on and Aelita waited expectantly. Jérémie cracked open one eye and there she remained, watching him through the computer screen. Inwardly cursing his lack of tact and drawing a deep breath, Jérémie began to form his excuses.</p><p>"Uh... well... that is, it wasn't anything <em>really</em>... um..."</p><p>"Jérémie? We never keep secrets from each other."</p><p>Unable to deny this, he gave in and told her, briefly, what had transpired. As he spoke Aelita's innocent features hardened, eyebrows knitting together in a frown and her lip curling.</p><p>"...And that's what happened. I mean like I say it wasn't anything, anything at all, nothing was going to happen even if Odd and Ulrich hadn't walked in and then well-" Jérémie realised he was rambling and pressed his lips together, shoulders hunched and his skinny frame tense in his seat.</p><p>Aelita pressed a hand lightly to her temple as though trying to make sense of some sudden confusion in her own brain.</p><p>"What's this emotion I'm feeling Jérémie? I feel... angry and uncomfortable. Like something was almost stolen from me."</p><p>"I don't know," he lied, grabbing a folded piece of paper from his desk to fan some cold air onto his heated face. "Emotions are complicated things..."</p><p>"Is this normal, to have such intense feelings?"</p><p>"Well maybe, naturally, given the circumstances... uh... is that Ulrich I can hear calling me? I'll be right there, Ulrich! Gotta go Aelita speak to you later bye!"</p><p>"But I didn't hear any-"</p><p>The door closed behind him before she had even finished her sentence and Aelita was left to contemplate the unfamiliar, unsettling emotions alone.</p><p>How she longed for the day when they would be there, face to face, and she could run after him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Bucket List</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun shone brightly in Jérémie's room, casting slanted squares of light onto the carpet. He had left the window open, welcoming in birdsong and a soft breeze which occasionally swept by to rustle the papers on his desk, cheerfully reminding him of the homework he was neglecting in favour of enjoying the day.</p><p>Jérémie leaned back in his computer chair, sleeves rolled up to the elbow, laughing with Aelita over some joke they had just shared. The laughter gave way to contented sighs and they both sat for a moment with silly grins on their faces. It never crossed Jérémie's mind to regret missing out on the warm outdoor weather, not when Aelita's smile lit up the room from his computer screen, brighter than sunbeams.</p><p>There was a knock on the door and a second later Yumi entered, awkwardly clutching two ice-cream cones in one hand.</p><p>"You still in here, Jérémie?" And then, peering over his shoulder, added, "Hey Aelita!"</p><p>"Hello Yumi," she greeted in kind. "What's that you've got there?"</p><p>"Ice cream. None for you I'm afraid, unless we can get it to a scanner before it melts." Yumi winked and offered the cone to the boy before her. "Here Jér. Strawberry, your favourite."</p><p>Jérémie took the ice-cream gratefully and took a bite from the top, wincing as the frozen treat chilled his teeth but giving a nod of satisfaction.</p><p>"Mmm. Thanks Yumi!"</p><p>"No problem. We're going down by the park in a minute if you want to join us."</p><p>"I'm fine right here, thanks Yumi. You guys have fun."</p><p>Yumi shrugged. "Okay Einstein. Say, don't keep him in here too long will you Aelita? It's a gorgeous day out."</p><p>The elf-girl laughed. "Don't worry, I'll shoo him outdoors sooner or later," she teased.</p><p>Grinning and backing towards the door with a wave, Yumi said goodbye and disappeared off again in pursuit of her other friends. There was yet more silence in Jérémie's room as he ate his ice-cream, and Aelita stared at it thoughtfully, wondering what it tasted like.</p><p>"Will I be able to try some ice-cream when I get to Earth?" she asked.</p><p>"Of course! I'll buy you some. You'll love it!" Just a moment." Carefully holding the cone aloft in one hand, Jérémie searched his desk drawer for a small notebook and pen. Flicking to a page already covered with writing, a bullet-pointed list in his own untidy scrawl, he added a few short words to the bottom.</p><p>"Are you adding to the list Jérémie?"</p><p>"I certainly am. It's getting long now; we're going to do so many things once you're materialised! Latest addition: Find out which ice-cream flavour you like best."</p><p>"I can't wait."</p><p>Her gaze softened and strawberry ice-cream dripped down Jérémie's hand as he lost himself for a moment in those deep green eyes.</p><p>"Me too."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Dreams</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"What are dreams, Jérémie?"</p><p>At Aelita's question, one of an endless many about the world, the boy explained as best he could. He loved her love of learning and how she always asked what came to mind, no matter how random or insignificant or bizarre. She would need to arm herself with all the knowledge she could before she arrived on Earth after all, for the day was drawing nearer. And yet they didn't dare talk about it; they couldn't afford to waste energy on excitement when there had been so many disappointments already.</p><p>"Dreams are... well, they're ideas and pictures that your mind makes up whilst you sleep," said Jérémie. "Sort of like an impromptu movie in your head. They can be surreal or ordinary, or things that you think about often when you're awake."</p><p>"I see. That's interesting."</p><p>"Do you dream, Aelita?" He asked this almost shyly, forgetting momentarily, real as she was to him, that as a virtual being she wasn't even capable of sleep. Aelita shook her head sadly; the closest she got, she explained, was something she had come to call 'drifting' - a deep meditation where her consciousness became one with the stillness of Lyoko.</p><p>When she asked Jérémie what he dreamed about, his quiet blush was the only answer she needed.</p><p>Later, Aelita sat lotus-like on the Desert floor as her mind strayed aimlessly in peaceful contemplation. A thought struck her and, holding into the detached feeling of calmness, she conjured abstract images in her mind. The opening of the scanner door, blond hair and glasses, a shy smile and eyes of deep blue. Then, a hand in hers, warm grass beneath her feet as Jérémie had described it, and the hot sun overhead.</p><p>It wasn't quite a dream, but it was pleasant enough.</p><p>/</p><p>The air was thick with anticipation when the day finally arrived.</p><p>Jérémie took a deep breath, keying in the last part of the code before wiping his palms nervously on his jeans; inside the tower, Aelita hopped from foot to foot in nervous excitement. The Lyoko warriors stood in the scanner room, ready to greet their comrade at long last.</p><p>A countdown, a sliding open of scanner doors, a vision of pink against white light. Green eyes met blue with matching smiles and he took her in his arms, holding her tightly, for the very first time.</p><p>And neither one had to dream any more.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Perspective 1.0</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The way Jérémie saw it, Aelita adapted to Earth effortlessly.</p><p>Within a week of attending Kadic Academy she was the most talked about person in recent school history. Odd's mysterious, pretty, never-before-mentioned cousin who had suddenly turned up out of the blue in the middle of the year with no clear details of where she came from; of course everyone wanted to get to know her.</p><p>"Hi Aelita!"</p><p>"Hey new kid, cool hair."</p><p>"Aelita, can we interview you for the Kadic News?"</p><p>"Uh... Aelita, a-are you busy this weekend?"</p><p>She smiled politely at everyone, answered questions where she could and was fascinated by everything in a way that everyone else found charming. Jérémie hadn't really been expecting anything else - he knew his status in the Kadic Academy student body's social order, after all - but it still stung a little to know your best friend was cooler than you, especially when she'd only been around for a week and she wasn't even a real person.</p><p>And he knew it was silly given all the time they had been spending together but he had barely seen her all week, and he <em>missed </em>her.</p><p>Friday arrived; the ringing bell brought the final class of the day to an end and Aelita was hurried out of the room, unable to escape Milly and Tamiya's unquenchable thirst for an interview this time. Jérémie was left at his desk to put his things away, when Odd and Ulrich came up behind him and slapped a reassuring hand on each of his shoulders.</p><p>"Don't worry, Jér. It'll all die down soon enough," Ulrich said.</p><p>"Yeah," Odd added with a grin. "Aelita's the latest big news - not much ever happens around here, that's all. Right?"</p><p>The three laughed together at the inside joke and left the now-empty classroom, scanning the thinning crowd of students for Aelita to see if they couldn't rescue her.</p><p>And all the while Jérémie and Aelita's list of things to do and pile of movies to see lay almost forgotten in Jérémie's desk drawer.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Perspective 1.1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Aelita just found it exhausting.</p><p>The endless stream of sights, sounds, smells and all other kinds of sensations that she had to adjust to all at once, plus the day-to-day functions of life that other people rarely gave a second thought to, but which Aelita constantly worried she wasn't getting right. There was so much to take in.</p><p>As far as Kadic Academy went... after only knowing Jérémie, Yumi, Odd and Ulrich all her life, it was a shock to Aelita to learn just how many people there were on Earth. She knew the figures, but seeing it represented visually was something else altogether. She'd be lying if she said it wasn't kind of cool, having so many people want to talk to her, but half the time she didn't really know what to say. It was an entire world that she had barely begun to touch, filled with unfamiliar slang and new outings and alien pop culture.</p><p>The way Aelita saw it, Jérémie was at ease with everything. He was never afraid of saying the wrong thing and he navigated public transport - something Aelita found somewhat terrifying - effortlessly. He knew which foods were good (though she didn't <em>quite</em> agree about Brussels sprouts) and if he was insecure, she was so tied up in her own insecurities that she didn't notice.</p><p>At the end of a long day, struggling to keep her story straight whilst assaulted by Milly and Tamiya's endless questioning, she knocked on Jérémie's bedroom door. He didn't turn around when she came in, glued as usual to his computer screen with piles of discs and sheets of data surrounding him, a pile of coffee mugs storing stagnant liquid on the floor.</p><p>"Jérémie?" she said, and he finally turned around at the sound of her voice, rubbing his eyes. "Mind if I come in?"</p><p>He shook his head and she sprawled gratefully on the bed, hugging a pillow to her chest.</p><p>"So how's life on Earth, Aelita?" he asked her.</p><p>"Tiring," she mumbled, closing her eyes. Then she opened them again suddenly, jolting herself awake, and glanced over to where Jérémie was examining a scribbled-on piece of paper with a thoughtful expression. "Do you mind if I sit here for a while?"</p><p>"Not at all. Do you want to watch a movie?"</p><p>"That sounds good."</p><p>He brought his laptop over and balanced it on his knees as he sat beside her. She cuddled up to him and rested her head on his shoulder; clumsily, he inserted the DVD into the disc drive.</p><p>"<em>Tron</em>?" Aelita mused as she picked up the discarded DVD case and examined the cover.</p><p>"Science fiction." He shrugged. "I thought you might find it interesting."</p><p>Aelita did, but try as she might to focus on the movie, within twenty minutes her eyes were closed and she lay curled up against Jérémie, fast asleep. He noticed the gradual slow and deepening of her breathing and when he looked down and saw her peaceful expression, he couldn't help smiling to himself. She was happy to be here, he didn't doubt it for a second and was glad of it, though maybe it wasn't as easy for her as he had first thought after all.</p><p>The movie played on. Soon Jérémie too was dozing in the darkened room.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Fear</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Earth was simply <em>fascinating</em> Aelita thought, not for the first time, as she held tightly to the safety bar in front of her. She focused hard on the distant, sparkling sea, unable to bear looking directly below and half-wishing she was safely back on the ground. That something like this existed was-</p><p>Then there was a rattling sound cutting off her thoughts; she plummeted and the contents of her stomach surged up into her throat, her exhilarated screaming tossed to the wind. The rollercoaster cart hurtled down the first steep incline and Aelita's hand found Jérémie's across the rail, gripping so hard her knuckles turned white.</p><p>When it was over they staggered shakily towards the exit with flushed faces and messy hair and relieved giggles, rushing off with the others towards the log flume.</p><p>"Did you enjoy the theme park today?" Jérémie asked her afterwards.</p><p>"It was great! I had a lot of fun. I felt strange on the rollercoasters though. It's a feeling I know from seeing XANA's monsters on Lyoko – my mind starts to race, and I have the urge to hide or run away."</p><p>"That's right."</p><p>"And here, my heart starts to beat faster too." Aelita frowned as she noted this, wondering if it was a normal thing to feel.</p><p>Jérémie nodded knowledgeably, pushing his glasses a little further up his nose. "That's fear," he explained. "It's the body's natural reaction to scary things."</p><p>"Oh." A pause as Aelita took this information in, and then: "Am I scary?"</p><p>"Uh-what?"</p><p>"Your heart beats faster when I'm next to you. Like this afternoon, and like right now." Aelita placed a hand innocently against the boy's shirt to prove her point. "So does that mean that you're afraid?"</p><p>"..."</p><p>"Jérémie...? Why has your face turned so red?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Sickness 1.0</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The rain started unexpectedly, until a quiet stroll through the park became an expedition in a torrential downpour, wading through soggy grass with only one umbrella between them.</p><p>Aelita reached out her hand to catch droplets in her palm, pressed next to Jérémie beneath the colourful canvas shelter. Beads of water were already sliding relentlessly down his glasses and his hands were white-knuckled with cold as he clutched the umbrella handle to hold it steady over both of them, noting with a touch of despair that they had quite a ways left to walk.</p><p>"Your first downpour, Aelita," Jérémie commented as he shivered, silently bemoaning his lack of jacket. Not for his sake, but because if he had a coat he would have gladly given it to the girl beside him. As it were their damp clothes had already begun to clung uncomfortably to their skin but for Aelita's part, she neither noticed nor cared.</p><p>"It's wonderful," she said, wide-eyed, squelching through puddles with an expression of bemused delight. Jérémie hunched his shoulders and sniffed.</p><p>"The novelty will wear off eventually," he replied.<em><br/></em></p><p>"Then I suppose I should enjoy it whilst it lasts!" She turned to him, wet hair plastered over her forehead, and grinned from ear to ear. He guessed her intentions not a second too soon, and quietly pressed the umbrella handle into her palm. Aelita shot off like a rocket, leaping from one puddle to the next, sending water drops leaping through the air as mud splattered her legs.</p><p>And you only live once, Jérémie thought with a wry smile, and in moments he was running too. <em>Besides, she has the umbrella.</em></p><p>He couldn't catch her up in her excitement and his poor state of athleticism, and they arrived back at school ten minutes apart. He stumbled in, red-faced and breathless and shivering; she was waiting for him with a cooling mug of hot chocolate, a dry towel in hand.</p><p>He took them gratefully. They walked to the common room side by side. Jérémie opened his mouth to say something, scrunched up his nose and-</p><p>
  <em>"AAAAAACHOO!"</em>
</p><p>"Jérémie, what's wrong?"</p><p>"It's nothing," he said, and continued to say it later when he sneezed; first every now and then, and then every few seconds, and then so loudly that he was met with glares from the other students until he left the room.</p><p>/</p><p>The morning afterwards, when he woke up puffy-eyed and red-nosed and stuffed up with cold, even he couldn't deny it.</p><p>"I'm dying," he groaned, head pushed into his pillows with a pile of crumpled tissues overflowing the waste-paper basket. Aelita cried out in alarm, and the others shook their heads.</p><p>"Figuratively," Jérémie added weakly. "Sorry, Aelita."</p><p>She sat with him all day as he alternately sneezed and dozed. She refused to let him switch on his computer or worry about XANA, and as frustrating as that was he was secretly grateful. In return, he never complained about being sick or getting soaked to the skin the day before.</p><p>In fact, remembering the expression on Aelita's face as she leapt through puddles in the downpour, he couldn't quite find it in his heart to regret it.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Close</h2></a>
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    <p>They're always so close.</p><p>A year and a half spent face to face and worlds apart, with only one small brushing of fingertips to break the space in between, means touch is something they refuse to take for granted.</p><p>It's something softer than Odd's touch - friendly slaps on backs and punches on arms – and something bolder than Yumi and Ulrich's hesitant hands placed reassuringly on shoulders.</p><p>It's Jérémie and Aelita; heads bent together over school projects, shy hands clasped in walks through the woods. It's falling asleep on each other shoulders after a breakthrough on Lyoko, drifting off to the sound of peaceful heartbeats and slow deep breathing.</p><p>Aelita likes being close. It makes her feel human to feel the soft warmth of someone else's skin against hers. For Jérémie, who will never stop worrying about losing her to this battle they've started, it's soothing to simply have her there.</p><p>She sits outside in their usual spot and it's as it always is; she only has to lean back an inch before her shoulder bumps against his, her hand edging across the wooden bench to the fingertips that curl responsively around her own.</p><p>It's a small gesture that no one else sees.</p><p>But it's safety and comfort and love, and it's enough.</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Pertinacious</h2></a>
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    <p>"Noooooo!"</p><p>"Oh, come on," Aelita begged. She was on the verge of tears but bravely held them back, as she had done for most of the afternoon. "Please, Nathalie. We have to go home now."</p><p>"NOOOOOO!" came the scream again, louder, and the tiny red-faced girl clung, monkey-like, to the bars of the swing-set. "DON'T WANNA."</p><p>Aelita bent down, looped her arms lightly around the child's waist, and tugged. In response, Nathalie only clung more tightly, her face screwed up in stubborn defiance. Petulant tears streamed down her face and even though she shouted, her words were barely coherent between sobs.</p><p>"I W-WANNA STAY. I'VE ONLY B-BEEN ON THE SWINGS T-T-TEN TIMES."</p><p>Jérémie bit his lip, watching the scene unfold with increasing trepidation. Aelita turned to him despairingly, her hair looking more haphazard than usual and her face stricken, all too aware that around them, parents were watching out of the corners of their eyes, their faces at once embarrassed and sympathetic.</p><p>"Jérémie, help me," Aelita hissed pleadingly between clenched teeth. "We have to be back before five."</p><p>"Noooooo," Nathalie said again. Aelita grimaced. Her arms were still wrapped around the child, and soft blonde hair tickled her nose.</p><p>Jérémie's face took on an extremely panicked look. "Aelita, I don't know how to... what do you want me to do?"</p><p>"Anything! Just... get her to let go!"</p><p>Jérémie stared at her as though she had just grown two heads. He had a vision of himself behind Aelita, both of them jointly pulling the child in some surreal tug-of-war. He coughed awkwardly, staring wildly around the park as though a solution to avoiding this scenario would drop suddenly from the sky.</p><p>As a matter of fact, the solution <em>drove</em>into their midst, ringing a merry jingle and bearing a huge plastic ice-cream motif on its roof. An ice-cream truck, driving towards them...</p><p>...And straight past.</p><p>"Wait!" Jérémie hesitated for only a moment before he took off at a sprint, painfully aware of the looks thrown his way. Loose change clinked in his pocket. He held onto his glasses with one hand, the other flailing wildly at its side, unsure of what to do with itself in this strange, alien act of... running.</p><p>Thankfully the truck was moving slowly along the side road, and Jérémie flagged it down, out of breath and sweating. The ice-cream vendor peered out at him, lip curled in wry amusement.</p><p>"You sure seem desperate for some ice-cream, kid."</p><p>"It's not- It's my- She's- Little girl, swings..." Jérémie attempted between deep breaths. Finally he shook his head in resignation, pointed breathlessly to a picture of a chocolate ice and handed over the change.</p><p>Ten minutes later, Nathalie still clung to the swing set and Aelita was seated resignedly beside her, anxiously checking her mobile for the time. She looked up as Jérémie slumped wearily into view, two chocolate ices in his hands.</p><p>"What was that-" she asked, but Jérémie shook his head and bent down next to the little girl.</p><p>"Hey," he said awkwardly. "Uh... want some ice-cream?"</p><p>Nathalie stared up at him, her eyes wide and still wet with tears. Silently, petulantly, she grasped for one of the frozen desserts, but Jérémie held it just out of reach.</p><p>"You can't swing and eat at the same time," he pointed out.</p><p>"Can too," she mumbled, but already he saw her grip on the bar begin to loosen.</p><p>"Betcha can't. Come on." Still feeling awkward, and like an animal-tamer coaxing a small yet fierce lion from a cage, he led her from the swing-set. Within minutes, Nathalie was happily eating ice-cream, and Aelita was staring at Jérémie with her mouth wide open.</p><p>"Jérémie, how on Earth did you..."</p><p>Suddenly embarrassed again, he shrugged.</p><p>"I just... uh... say, shouldn't we be getting her home?"</p><p>Aelita snapped back into action, leaping to her feet and taking one of the child's hands. "Right, right," she said brusquely. "Come on honey, let's go."</p><p>"Right." Jérémie smiled, and humbly handed her the other chocolate ice. "Here, I got you something. I figured you needed something to help you not stress out so much."</p><p>Aelita beamed at him, and took it gratefully. "Thank you, Jérémie."</p><p>They walked, the three of them together, Nathalie inbetween them with all thoughts of swing-sets flown from her mind, and Jérémie and Aelita quietly in thought.</p><p>When they were within a block of the child's house, Aelita spoke up again.</p><p>"We're never having children, right?" she asked.</p><p>Jérémie flushed crimson and let out a strangled gasp.</p><p>"W-w-we... what? Aelita-"</p><p>"Oh come on. This babysitting thing is bad enough. Who knew children were so difficult? We'll get married, of course, but no children. None. Zilch."</p><p>"M-m-married?" Jérémie said hoarsely. After releasing a few more garbled, incoherent sounds, he decided to simply stop talking. He was glad he didn't have an ice-cream himself; the heat from his face in that moment would surely have melted it on the spot.</p><p>Nathalie was oblivious and chocolate-smeared, and Aelita mumbled to herself, about money and part-time jobs and how this had better be worth it.</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Sickness 1.1</h2></a>
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    <p>Everything is darkness.</p><p>She has hidden herself in layers as though it will make the world unable to find her here; a hooded sweater underneath blankets swathed in the oppressive blackness of a darkened room, without even a crack of light through the curtains to split the shadows. Aelita breathes stale air and chokes down the last of her sobs, and curls in on herself as she once did, long ago, and longs for a time without memory.</p><p>Today has not been a good day. Nor was the day before it, or the day before that. She is tired of the fight, exhausted; it's like a sickness, the way it numbs her through and through, chips away until she doesn't want to think any more, as though - ironically, now all has come to light - as though she has aged decades.</p><p>Aelita lies still for a long time, until there is a knock on the door, soft and hesitant.</p><p>She ignores it. Counts the moments in long inhales, even longer exhales.</p><p>The door opens and even swathed in blankets she sees the overspill of light from the hallway outside, before it's quickly drawn to again, and there is the padding of soft feet across the carpet. She knows who it is, and just as she's thinking this he speaks, a barely audible whisper. Just her name, nothing more, which is a relief because she's sick, too, of platitudes; small attempts at comfort between five people who all badly need comforting themselves.</p><p>Jérémie rests one hand atop the blankets. Aelita moves her hand under them to meet his, fingers curling against the fabric to press lightly against his own. She listens to the soft telltales sounds of him kicking off his shoes, sighing quietly, settling himself on the edge of the bed, all still in the dark. They wait for a long moment, another drawn-out silence fraut slightly with tension. Aelita asks herself, <em>what of Jérémie? Am I sick of him, too?</em></p><p>Maybe he's wondering the same thing, or maybe he too is exhausted and out of words, because all he does is sit. Contemplative, patient.</p><p>And eventually Aelita shrugs out of her cocoon, reaching out until her palm meets his face, cupping his cheek with a tenderness she is thankful she still knows how to give.</p><p>She feels the curve of his lips as he smiles, swings her legs around so that they are entwined, and presses him back onto the mattress where they lie in dark warmth, listening to the rhythm of their own peaceful breathing. The rise and fall of chests, the expansion and contraction of lungs, oxygen dissolving into blood. The steady beat of life continuing against all odds. The thought cheers her and some of the darkness in her own tired soul begins to ebb away.</p><p>"Aelita-"</p><p>"Ssh. Just enjoy the moment."</p><p>He laughs slightly. The pillows rustle as he nods. A surge of affection rushes through her, sudden and startling.</p><p>And she is still sick but never of <em>him</em>, never of him.</p>
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